Lisboa

I think the word that best describes this trip is YOLO aka You Only Lean Once. It has been a culinary journey from spain to portugal. 

It was a tiring journey to Lisboa with a 7am flight from Barcelona. Had to wake up at 4am with only 2 hrs of sleep and lug ourselves to the airport just because of our check in baggage. Vernon really went crazy with the shopping there.

Arrived in Lisbon half dead, fully concussed on the plane. The metro services the airport and i recommend buying a day pass for 5 euros since you'll be taking tram 28 or one of those elevators up the hills anyway.

Lisboa is a little quaint town different from the other cities i've been to. Its a beach side town filled with hills which can be tiring to walk. So one day, a lazy fella thought... why not build tram like elevators up the slopes! So tada, Lisbon became known for their iconic old school trams and elevator systems. 

the elevator up Rua Gloria

The Portuguese love their cod fish. It can be found in almost all the menus serving traditional Portuguese dishes. Cod fish with potatoes, grilled cod fish, baked cod fish, cod fish lasagna, etc. The place we had lunch at on the first day was a restaurant frequent by the locals. You can tell that the food is really good when the place is filled with locals and few or no tourists. A Licorista E O Bacalhoeiro (Rua Dos Sapateiros 218-224) served very home cooked meals. Love the hospitality of the Portuguese as well! They gave us free Ginja (their local cherry liquor) shots after the meal! 

Good portugese lunch at Bacalhoeiro

Spent the rest of the first day walking around the shops and didnt do much sight seeing till the evening cos of the rain. Alfama is a really nice area to walk around and get lost on the narrow cobblestoned streets. I tram surfing is quite cool! too bad i didnt manage to attempt it successfully.

How tram surfing is done

another tram surfer

Lisbon church. Apparently the graduating students of the university have their ceremony here. How cool is that!

Take a road trip out of the city and you'll enter another dimension. The city seems to be a mix of different cities. At Belem, there's a bridge that looks like the golden gate bridge and across, there's a statue that looks similar to Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro. But whats out there is the real treasure, wait for it.... THE MOST AWESOME PORTUGESE EGG TART which can be found at Pasteis De Belem (pronounced belei) at Rua de belem 84 -92. Driving along the Portugese costal road was nice, with the view of the beach and the waves ideal for surfers. It really reminded me as if i was in South America. Drove by Cascai on the way to Cabo Da Roca, the most western tip of Europe and were greeted with awesome views. Finally ended up our trip in Sintra where we arrived too late with most of the attractions starting to close. Had nice Portuguese pastries at Piriquita 1 (Rua das Padarias 1)

For those planning of doing the same itinerary, i suggest driving up the Sintra first and explore the moorish castle and the quinta da regaleira before heading down to cabo da roca and belem for some egg tarts. If i had the time, i'll definitely do a road trip from Lisbon to Porto! there're so many nice sights on the way north! Just that we didnt have time to fully explore em. 

Heavenly Portugese egg tarts!

At the most western edge of Europe!

Exiting the cave at Quinta Da Regaleira

Queijada and Travesseiro at Piriquita 1 in Sintra

Met up with our Portugese friends that we met in Krakow. Had more good food! Always love meeting up with the locals and exploring their local hunts! Food portions aren't that big (similar to tapas) but had a great variety of portugese food! Petiscaria Ideal (Rua da Esperanca 112-114) Had a really great time with them. They even brought us to an gelato place which served the best chocolate cake in the world! and no im not kidding, its name is the best chocolate cake in the world! ahha its actually quite nice too! one of the better choc cakes that i've eaten in europe!

Our awesome Portugese Hosts, Catarina and Jorge  

viva la barcelona

Recently, i've been having huge a huge inertia to blog about my travel experiences but i know i have to in order to remember my experiences years down the road and of course the food recommendations. hahaha 

Welcome to Spain. Most people relate to it as the place with the cheap shopping and good weather. But to me, its the place of good food! yes food again! haha i think that Mediterranean food beats continental european food hands down.

Unfortunately, I only had 2 pathetic days in the city of Barcelona. Kind of rush actually. Dont really like such trips. too tiring. especially after having little sleep the past few days, touring london in the day and rushing assignments till the wee hours of the morning in london. 

The hostel we stayed in was absolutely fantastic! Barcelona Central Garden Hostel. I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who comes to Barcelona. Place was cosy, rooms were clean and toilets were nice and spacious. It even looked like ones from hotels. Staff were friendly and very receptive to our questions. There was even a 10min run through of all the attractions in Barcelona!

Arriving late on Fri evening, we set out for our Spanish Conquest early on Sat morning, exploiting the good food at Mercat Boqueria along La Rambla. Dated back to 1826, it still houses what it used to sell then. Fresh meat, fresh seafood, chocolate, fruits and GOOD FOOD! 

Mercat Boqueria (along La Rambla)

Seafood so fresh that it is still moving!

I would recommend Breakfast at El Quim inside Mercat Boqueria. Try their house speciality, Huevos Chipirones. It's basically an omelette with baby octopus. (yes they love their baby octopus! it can be found everywhere). To eat it, burst the yolk and mix it around before eating. Eat with the bread provided. However, it comes with a heft price tag of 19 Euros, but its worth it. Share it. Also, try their sandwiches El Bocaquim stuffed with their local spanish ham and cubed potatoes with their special sause (Bravas Boqueria). 

Here's a crash course of Spanish eating etiquette, wine is usually drank first before your main meal (yes, even for breakfast) and coffee like most other cultures is drank for desert.

After such a hearty breakfast, have a walk around the market for more snacking and clearing your platter with fresh fruit juices for 1 euro!

Enjoying our delicious breakfast at the market

Huevos Chipirones (Baby octopus with omelette)

Besides eating, the next best thing to do is to shop till you drop. Okay shopping here is actually quite exaggerated. Its more for girls. The only cheaper stuff here are from brands like Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear and Bershka. 

Zara outlets here are huge!

The next thing that must be checked off your Spanish Checklist is to have Tapas. Tapas is basically something we chinese call as Dim Sum. It basically consists of very small dishes and you'll have to order a variety of them to fill your stomach. It'll cost about 20 euros to be full from it. At some places, sitting at the bar would be cheaper than sitting at a table or outside.

trying tapas at Tapas Tapas

 The variety of Tapas

With our stomachs half full, we set out to do some sight seeing of Gaudi's work. As you walk around the city and if you see weird buildings, there's a high chance that it's Gaudi's work. His most famous one being the Sagrada Familia, a must visit when touring Barcelona.

The Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia

Walking back to the hostel, we came across another demonstration  Dont know what it was about because everything was in Spanish. 

Ended off the day with dinner at a local hunt which served imo the best paella in Barcelona. Restaurante Bosque Palermo (C/ Valencia 163) call ahead to ensure that you've a table to avoid disappointment.

 Racion Paella

The last day of Barcelona was spent touring the old town with the walking tour by travel bound. The Catalan people sure have a weird tradition for christmas and they sure love their shit. yes feces. On top of having a model crib of the night jesus was born, they have another model of someone taking a crap in the picture. if you want a authentic souvenir that represented barcelona, this would be the perfect gift. Also, where most countries have santa, the catalans have the shit log. a log which gifts out presents after you beat it with a stick. 

shop selling the shitting figurines from the typical Catalan boy to celebrities like the queen taking a shit.

stall selling the shit logs.

Barcelona is indeed a unique city of its own in Spain. In the center, we have the old town and the works of Gaudi littered around the city, but further south we have the beach which brings in a different feel to city. Exiting the old town and entering the Barceloneta area makes you feel as if you're stepping into a different city. Houses look different, seafood are aplenty, lots of space and the sunshine! 

 Barcelona Beach

However, when searching for food, do avoid the very southern tip of Barceloneta as their food are pretty much expansive.

While the 2 boys went to watch their Barcelona match, the rest continued in search for food and to our disappointment the seafood places were closed for siesta! Oh yah an i forgot to mention, siesta is from 1-3 and can extend to longer periods during weekends.

Met my friend Serene who was doing an exchange there. Went to watch the Spanish Flemenco dance and headed out for good tapas!

 The Spanish Flemenco Dance (basically super lightning speed tap dancing and coordination)

I guess the highlight of the day was food again with Serene leading the way to Cerveseria (Mallorca 236), a local tapas joint. I guess we were considered lucky to have a table. Try their veal tapas and the Huevos Cabreaos (below)

The 2 days in barcelona was just too short. Didnt manage to cover most of the sights nor siesta at the sun filled beach. Really enjoyed the cool weather but most of all, the awesome spanish food! Although most people claim that spain is cheap, it was my most expansive trip to date. to satisfy a platter for good food be prepared to spend beyond 20 euros. 

getting the christmas mood on

so the christmas lights came on. it was only yst that I realized why christmas is always associated with the christmas lights as i walked down george square. Never did it occur to me that the sun sets really early in the summer and upon dark, everywhere would look gloomy. But then one day, some guy thought to himself, what better way to get everyone into the festive mood than to put lights arounds around, symbolizing the christmas! and volia!

and i'm really looking forward to george square being transformed into an ice skating ring! think this would be a nice christmas here in europe, finally having the real christmas jolly mood around.

Glasgow Christmas Lights Switch ON festival

so there i was coming out from the university gym wanting to have a peak at the festival where they turn on the christmas lights on. but to my dismay, all roads leading to george square was blocked till the top of the hill where the school sits on. :o guess its time to just go back for dinner disappointed that i didnt manage to catch a christmas event. at least there'll be a skating ring at george square (: on the lighter note, i managed to see the fireworks from behind my flat!

so this is where the christmas festive season begins i guess. looking forward to it!

Mind the Gap

London certainly made it to my list of favorite cities, in fact, its my favorite city at the moment. I guess its the charm of the city that appeals to city folk like me. It has everything! and food there is fantastic! I would say the history and sight seeing stuff are just normal, but the food is definitely the highlight of London. Where in the whole of europe can you find good asian food at an affordable price!

What else can i say bout london hmm. The transport system is excellent! Fast and efficient although a little pricey (2 pounds for a single trip with an oyster) is the best way to describe the meshed dense network of the tube. And after its revamp for the olympics, the tube has been cleaned up and some of the lines look better from what i remember 5 years ago. okay thing to note, do not travel before 9am if you have a choice because there's a peak hour charge, both on the day travel pass and single trip. Also, single trips are capped at 8pounds everyday. 

Musicals are a must watch in London too! Caught Les Miserables. It was just out of this world fantastic! can't wait for the movie. Still, i want to watch like the lion king, singing in the rain, matlida and so much more! Museums are free and I didn't manage to walk into one. urg. there're just so many things to do in London! got to go back again. 

Fortunately for me, I stayed with a friend who was a great host and i could spend alot on food! If you're reading this, thanks alot for hosting us and sacrificing your sleep time to talk cock with us. 

Arrived on a thursday night, headed straight to our friend's place. had 3 whole days in London. Would really recommend doing the free walking tour with sandermans. I think i had the best sandermans tour experience here in London with our guide Sonja compared to the other sandermans i did around europe. Bumped into some NTU exchange students during the tour too! Did you know, the Elizabeth Tower, previously known as the St Stephen's Tower is commonly mistaken as the Big Ben, the name of the bell inside it. 

Trafalgar Square

Horse Guards Parade

Us, plus the exchange students from Cork, Ireland at Westminster. 

A must go for Asians in London is definitely the Chinatown, a place where you definitely wont miss after purchasing for your half price musical tickets at Leicester Square. Remember to check the prices of the musicals at the many half price ticket booths around the square before going theatre hopping hoping to get tickets. And remember to go to Gold Mine for a meal! Fantastic duck rice! Crispy layer of skin yet juicy succulent meat! It was so nice that i didnt manage to get a picture of my meal. I think it tastes better than most duck rice back home. And if you really miss the taste of home, remember to order sambal kang kong (yes they do serve it here) and the other local dishes that you miss! 

China Town near Leicester Square

Admiralty Arch

Saturday was spent walking around the City of London. First stop, Borough market! Full markets are opened from Fri- Sat and it really does offer a great range of good food! Don't go too early as the shops are still setting up shop nor too late when the crowd comes in. The must tries are, the oysters, mulled wine, venison sausages, duck sandwich and cheese! lots and lots of em! So much yummy things that we spent 4 hrs there!

Us, having breakfast at the cafe, waiting for the rest of the shops to open fully

Borough Market (full market)

some mild cheese that we bought

with our stomachs filled, we walked around to tower bridge before heading to Maryboyle to meet the rest. 

HMS Belfast and the remembrance poppy

it was so cold that day that a warm drink would be nice

So when i realized that the tickets to bichester outlet village cost 20 pounds to get there if purchased from the station, i decided not to go and walk around instead. Book online early to get cheaper tickets.

christmas lights at oxford street

christmas decorations at Covent Garden

So the plan was to meet chuns at Kimchi (71 High Holborn) for dinner. Was great stuff! Try their Bibinbap and kimchee soup! Best korean meal i ever had. After dinner i went to find my dear cousin studying at UCL only to find that she has put on weight! hahha. 

Bibinbap

Sunday was basically spent away from the crowded central london at Greenwich. Greenwich, affectionally known for its meridian line and the Greenwich Mean Time was a pretty big and spacious area. The main attraction being the old sailing ship the Cutty Sark and the Royal Naval College. Greenwich market is a small market compared to Borough and offered lots of handicrafts and food. Try their Churros there. And also, i had this excellent beef sandwich thingy. Its like beef slices with yorkshire pudding topped with cheese melted by fire and scrapped onto the beef. it was heavenly!

rmb to try the beef sandwich here the one with the yorkshire pudding

the cutty sark

The Meridian Line

Being abit too lazy to travel to inner london and hassle with the crowd, decided to check out the megamall Westfield at Stratford station. Headed over to The O2 to have a peak around with the ATP tennis going on before heading back home for some indian take away.

All in all, it was a good trip but it wasn't enough to see London. More musicals to watch and museums to be explored! So I hope i'll have the time to head over again. Cheers!

road trippin yet again!

gahh.. i actually should be studying right now but heck im on exchange so i should be embracing the culture of enjoying overseas life instead!

so yea. another one of those exciting weekends in the uk. road trippp! the only way to see the scottish highands, besides hill walking! cant imagine taking a bus up and being unable to stop wherever i want. it was a fulfilling weekend indeed!

kinda sucks having winter dawning upon us. it gets dark around 1630 and it totally screws with your body clock! so picked up the car about 5 plus and it was already dark! got the car with only 8 miles of fuel left. thought it was fine till i headed to the normal petrol station only to find it was closed. keyed in the next nearest petrol station, got there only to find that it doesnt exist! this time round, the dashboard read --- for the mileage left and i was dam scared the car would die on me! luckily i found a bp nearby at the west end. okay so shitty story cut short, picked up the rest of the guys and headed onwards towards inverness. it was quite a long drive up, abt 3hrs plus. it was a pleasant drive up, much better than the one towards fort william, partly due to the presence of the moon. at least i could see the snow capped peaks of glen coe. and oh! there was a deer along the way!

The title, 'capital of the highlands' really suited Inverness the best. It was filled with clubs, food places open after 8 and a quick 3G network! But honestly, Inverness is quite boring. Nothing much to do around the place. Could have stayed over at loch ness to save some fuel. But you never know till you're there right? so this's a heads up to whoever is reading. 

So this is where the adventure really starts and why not start it with that infamous loch ness. I must say its a really huge loch. slightly under an hour to drive alongside it to reach Fort Augustus. Btw if you dont want to pay a 7pound entry to see the loch from Urquhart castle, just give it a miss. they're such jewbags. they block every possible angle of the castle against the lake with trees. Just head towards Fort Augustus's information center to get directions for great views down the loch! 

the infamous Loch ness

The scottish highlands never fail to amaze me. the scenery is always changing! it felt as if i was driving along one of those top gear roads with the winding roads, plains against the snow capped backgrounds. 

viewpoint of the avernish woods

some random stop at a loch against snowcap peaks

 the beautiful and free Eilean Donan Castle

aye! sunday, the day in skye! somehow i couldnt get information about the places to visit from the hostel itself and it was irritating to load websites with the super slow gprs data connection. But it seemed that we manage to cover the popular spots! Drove up from Kyleakin through the beautiful Cuilin Hills to Portree in hope to find an information center. 

view from our hostel

the cuilin hills

The drive was amazing! there were like snow at some places! Although at some parts the frozen roads were abit dangerous to drive on.

thought that this would be the only chance of snow that i'll see, but further down the road it became like this.

Finally arrived in Portree, the biggest town in Skye and it was so dead! Even the tourist information center was closed! luckily, i found a hotel with nice staff who gave us a map and some info. First stop, the faerie glen! A single lane road off the main route towards Uig (turn just before Uig Hotel), led us to a whole new world! As i drove through the glen, i couldnt help feeling as if i was driving through tinkerbell's home. The moss filled hills really made it look like it was the home of the disney faries, not the ugly scottish ones. 

 Faerie Glen

Quiraing, Trotternish Ridge on the Isle of Skye was definitely the highlight of skye. It was all covered in snow and had views down the ridge of the surrounding! Stunning indeed! and you can make snowballs there, though i was the only one who tried. Would love to get some hiking done there but some of the people in the group weren't equiped with proper shoes and were slipping on the ice. But what the heck! snowwww!!

frozen pond

hairpin bend against the surrounding.

oh and did i mention that the movie 'brave' was inspired by the scottish highlands? the scenery all looked so familiar after watching the movie. just look at Kilt Rock! 

Didnt manage to climb up to see the old man of storr as the track was muddy and everyone was hungry! =/ The only downside of travelling to the highlands at this time is that most of the shops, especially the ones that sell seafood are closed for the season till bout march. Kinda sucks when you're searching for good and cheap seafood. 

After lunch, with 2+ hours of daylight left (funny how we plan by the amount of daylight we have left),  we chionged to Neist point, a point that doesnt appear in in the GPS. Had to navigate through those small little single lane road and got lost around Dunvegan! Like those postcards, we experienced scottish peak hour traffic. Imagine stupid sheep who wouldnt get off the road when your car comes, obstructing your way, but will run away only when you attempt to go near them in person.

view of the Dunvegan Castle (closed on weekends) from the place we horlaned

sheep running away

roads so empty that we can pose in the middle of it

Alright, so we reached Neist Point in time for sunset but the scumbag sun decided to hide behind the clouds. 

As the sun goes down, and dinner right where it should be in our stomach, it was time to play 'find the shooting star'

So monday comes and its time to headback. Had lunch at Fort Williams and stopped over at Glencoe. The other car aka the sick mobil wasn't feeling too well and headed back first. Quite disappointed with myself because i forgot to charge my camera and had to use my iphone. worst of all, i forgot that i had a backup film camera in my other bag. grr. Upon reaching back, ran peak hour traffic entering glasgow. so frustrating! 

frozen forest

Signal Rock at Glencoe

 

skyfall?

 bad ass pilot flying through the glen

beautiful scene with great light somehwere in the lower lands 

 Remember remember, the 5th of November! Guy Fawkes night! The night where the the gunpowder plot to blow the king up to smithereens in london was foiled and why not celebrate the day with more combustable material. Headed down to glasgow green to freeze my ass off with a congested mobile network after returning the car caused me to watch the fireworks alone. Well, it was nice and well synced with the music but would have been nicer if i had company and my camera. Front row seats were good too if i have to add more things to console myself haha. okay im falling asleep. till next time!

 the crowd after the fireworks